Checking In

I'm sitting here, sore from the gym, tired from the whirlwind of the term, reading "Joe Gould's Secret." Lurking at the back of my head over the last few days has been the fear that I am not the academic I thought I was.

I am thinking about writing, which isn't what I do, and thinking it is something I might like to try more. I'm thinking about how the research I do isn't the thing that my students connect with. Shouldn't it be? Why is it when I teach the things around the edges of my part of the field, trying to define it, that it is those things the students connect with?

I'm feeling guilty as my department is slowly descending into panic about my departure. It would help if, when people asked me about the new job, they didn't always begin with "So, you're abandoning us...." A friend mentioned wanting to throw a party for my departure, and I immediately thought of 40 people all starting their celebration for me that way, followed by loud demands for a speech.

Earlier this week, I looked at an ad for an apartment that said tenants could get use of the washer and dryer in the basement for $50 in additional rent, provided the use was limited to one load per week. Everything about looking for apartments depresses me.

All of this is funny as I'm still excited about the position.

Questions...

Since it's all the rage to ask questions of the blogosphere this week (I'll probably do it soon, 'cause I'm behind the times), here are some questions I'd like to ask of folks who may or may not have blogs.

For IT:
If neither e-mail nor phone calls elicit a response, what method do you suggest I use to contact you to help ensure you understand my questions are not rhetorical?

For my parents:
What makes you think asking the same question I already told you definitively no to will get a different answer if you wait awhile and ask it again?

[ED: actually, this works for other folks. Feel free to ask yourself this question if you've got a situation involving me that's frustrating you. It might help.]

For hiring committees:
What is the minimum you require to demonstrate "teaching excellence"?

For the striking writers in the entertainment industry:
Si se puede! But what can I do to make sure the strike won't interrupt the last season of "Battlestar Galactica" which I'm anticipating the way my mother hopes for grandchildren?